4.  Vatican Not Above Haggling Over Plane Tickets

Despite Pope Benedict's low profile compared to his predecessor, business for the Vatican's "in-house travel agency" is booming, according to the Wall Street Journal. In 2008, the agency handled bookings for 60,000 tourists to the epicenter of Roman Catholicism, a 40 percent jump over the previous year. The Journal pegs the success on director Father Atuire, who's pitching the Vatican as a new Iceland of sorts: a hub for long-term layovers, a place where travelers stay for a few days en route elsewhere. To make the Holy See more attractive to these quick-stop tourists, Atuire uses the Vatican's cachet to garner heavy bargains from hotels, and has convinced convents to operate budget bed-and-breakfasts. It doesn't hurt that pilgrims booking through Atuire get first-in-line privileges at the Sistine Chapel.

Read original story in The Wall Street Journal | Friday, Sept. 18, 2009